Does Your Novel Have A Theme Song?

Any of you who have hung around my blog for a while have probably figured out that I'm a big music fan--hence the daily blog theme song, the romance I wrote about a rockstar, and my regular tweets about going to concerts or playing Guitar Hero. (Yes, I'm a thirty-year-old mom who plays Guitar Hero--look, I never said I was cool, alright.)

So it's probably no surprise that I find music very inspiring for my writing process too.  Sometimes a song can spark a story idea or sometimes I'll hear a song later and it resonates perfectly with something I've written already. The latter happened to me the other day.

I was driving, thinking about my book, and a song that I've heard many times before came on.  However, this time I really heard the lyrics and they gave me chills--the song fit the theme of my book perfectly.  So now every time I hear it, it just makes me want to work on the book more.

So here's my theme song for Exposure Therapy. Now, I know it's a sad song--and yes my romance does have a happy ending, it is a romance after all--but there are also a lot of dark things these characters have to handle within themselves before getting there.

"Outside" by Staind   (player in sidebar, if you want to hear the song)

Staind - Outside Lyrics @ LyricsTime.com

So I'm curious, do you use music in your writing?  What's one of the songs that you'd put on the soundtrack for your book?  Does your story have a theme song?

The Musical Muse

This week has been a little rough.  The kidlet has had a wicked ear infection with high fever and no one has gotten much sleep.  So, I hope you won't mind this tweaked repost from August of last year...

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending Dia de los Toadies, an annual concert event for the popular Dallas band, The Toadies. If you like hard rock and have never checked them out, please do. I go to a lot of concerts and the one this weekend was one of the best I've been to. Nothing like listening to great music in the middle of the Texas wilderness (it was held on the grounds of a ranch) with a couple thousand of your closest strangers. :)

On the way home, I started thinking about how music is tied to so much of my life. Each of us has a soundtrack that matches up with certain parts of our history. The Toadies' music always reminds me of when my husband and I first got together because he was the one who introduced me to their music. No matter what, when I hear one of their songs, I feel that emotion of giddy, new love. 

The same goes for so many other times in my life. The Cranberries and Alanis Morrissette make me think of high school. New Kids remind me of my preteen years. Led Zeppelin reminds me of my stepdad, who introduced me to 70s rock. The 80s song "Rock Steady", I don't even remember who it's by, reminds me of my mom because she used to use this song when she taught aerobics (and I had to sit and watch the class--while eating cheetos and drinking a soft drink, mind you).

So music definitely is linked closely to my emotions and memories. Perhaps this is why I find it so useful when I'm writing. I rarely write in silence. I almost always have something playing while I'm working on a scene. For my YA, I listened to a lot of current music: Fall Out Boy, All-American Rejects, Secondhand Serenade, Green Day, Pink, etc. I didn't even do this on purpose, it's just what I was drawn to while trying to write in a teen voice.

And Wanderlust is about a rockstar, so I definitely was influenced on that one. I pulled out the 80s hair bands (Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Cinderella) along with some newer stuff, like Buckcherry, 30 seconds to Mars, and Hinder. It's no coincidence that my male protagonist has an uncanny resemblance to Buckcherry's lead singer Josh Todd and 30 Seconds to Mars's Jared Leto. In fact, it was a Buckcherry concert that first sparked my idea for the story. You have to admit, he is pretty um, inspiring (if you're into that whole bad boy thing). ;)

So I never underestimate the power of music.  If I get stuck or am having trouble sinking into a scene, a lot of times a little change in the playlist can help.

So how about you? Do you listen to music while writing? Have any songs influenced your stories? What singers/bands/songs do you listen to while writing?  What's your story's soundtrack?

 

**Today's Theme Song**

"Tyler" - The Toadies

(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)

Looking Back at 2009

I know it's not quite the end of the year yet, but I started my writing journey in November of last year, so it's easier for me to recap from that point.  Here's what my year looked like with regards to books, music, and writing.

Books read: 79

Young Adult: 41

Adult Romance (including paranormal/erotic/historic/contemporary): 24

Non-fiction/Writing Books: 7

Other (Literary, Mystery, Horror, etc.): 7

Here's a sampling of what I've read.  For more detail, you can visit my GoodReads page:

Roni's book montage

Roni Griffin's favorite books »

Now as many of you know from reading this blog, I'm also a bit obsessed with music and going to concerts, so I'm going to include that list as well.  Music always inspires me in my writing and this was especially true this year.  The Buckcherry/Aerosmith concert was definitely where I got the idea for writing Wanderlust.  My husband and I have binged on live music a bit this year because the previous year we had a new baby and hadn't found a babysitter we felt comfy with yet, so we barely went to any.

Here's the list (not all of these were separate shows, some were opening bands at the same concert.)

Weezer

Angels and Airwaves

Pink

The Ting-Tings

AC/DC

New Kids on the Block

Fall Out Boy

Chicago

Earth, Wind, & Fire

Kelly Clarkson

The Offspring

The Toadies

Bowling for Soup (2x)

U2

Muse

No Doubt

Paramore

All-American Rejects

Taking Back Sunday

30 Seconds to Mars

Buckcherry

KISS

My Writing Progress:

Two novels completed and revised:

• YA (Shadow Falls) 
• Contemporary Romance (Wanderlust)

Joined a crit group

Joined RWA and local chapter

Started a blog.

• 113 posts
• hit over 200 followers (thanks guys!)

Whew, it's been a fun year!  Can't wait to see what the next one brings.  I have not thought through goals for the next year yet, but I do plan to come up with some, at least with regards to writing.  I know there are a lot of reading challenges popping up around blogs (here's a good list if you're interested), but I"m not sure if I'll commit to any of those.  I read like I write, I can't plan too far ahead.  :)

So how about you?  How was your year with regards to reading or writing or music?  Are you setting any specific goals for yourself for the next year?  Is anyone joining any of these reading challenges?

**Today's Theme Song**
"From Yesterday" - 30 Seconds to Mars

(player in sidebar if you'd like a listen)

The Musical Muse

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending Dia de los Toadies, an annual concert event for the popular Dallas band, The Toadies. If you like hard rock and have never checked them out, please do. I go to a lot of concerts and the one this weekend was one of the best I've been to. Nothing like listening to great music in the middle of the Texas wilderness (it was held on the grounds of a ranch) with a couple thousand of your closest strangers. :)

On the way home, I started thinking about how music is tied to so much of my life. Each of us has a soundtrack that matches up with certain parts of our history. The Toadies' music always reminds me of when my husband and I first got together because he was the one who introduced me to their music. No matter what, when I hear one of their songs, I feel that emotion of fresh, new love. The same goes for so many other times in my life. The Cranberries and Alanis Morrissette make me think of high school. New Kids remind me of my preteen years. Led Zeppelin reminds me of my stepdad, who introduced me to 70s rock. The 80s song "Rock Steady", I don't even remember who it's by, reminds me of my mom because she used to use this song when she taught aerobics (and I had to sit and watch the class--while eating cheetos and drinking a soft drink, mind you).

So music definitely is linked closely to my emotions and memories. Perhaps this is why I find it so useful when I'm writing. I rarely write in silence. I almost always have something playing while I'm working on a scene. For my YA, I listened to a lot of current music: Fall Out Boy, All-American Rejects, Secondhand Serenade, Green Day, Pink, etc. I didn't even do this on purpose, it's just what I was drawn to while trying to write in a teen voice.

My latest WIP is about a rockstar, so I definitely was influenced on that one. I pulled out the 80s hair bands (Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Cinderella) along with some newer stuff, like Buckcherry and 30 seconds to Mars. Come to think of it, my male protagonist has an uncanny resemblance to Buckcherry's lead singer, Josh Todd. Hmm, maybe I was a bit too influenced by the music, lol. Although, you have to admit, he is pretty yummy (if you're into that whole bad boy thing). ;)

So how about you? Do you listen to music while writing? Have any songs influenced your stories? What singers/bands/songs do you listen to while writing?

**Today's Theme Song**

"Tyler" - The Toadies

(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)

The Top Ten Things You Need to Know About Fiction Groupie

Novice Writer tagged her followers yesterday (after being tagged herself) to blog about the top ten things. So, since this will save me the trouble of having to create a whole new idea (and give me more time to work on WIP) for a blog post, here goes:

10. My taste in music is a bit schizophrenic. For example, concerts I've been to in past few years: Fall Out Boy, Motley Crue, Chicago, Foo Fighters, Britney Spears, Marilyn Manson, NKOTB, Weezer, Nine Inch Nails, All-American Rejects, Bowling for Soup, The Offspring, Def Lepard, No Doubt, Cinderella, Journey, AC/DC. I'm usually one of the youngest people at the concerts (Chicago) or one of the oldest (Fall Out Boy.) This makes me wonder what people my age are listening to. Maybe I'll see more of my peers at the upcoming Kelly Clarkson and Pink concerts.

9. I can spin a basketball on my finger and recite the names of all the books in the New Testament. Skills leftover from basketball camp and bible school when I was a kid.

8. I know it's the unpopular thing amongst writers because of all the writing/story flaws, but I ♥ Twilight. There I said it. :)

7. I met my husband on AOL ten years ago (before internet dating was the thing to do) when he was looking for someone to chat with about LSU. A few months after we met, he picked up his life, moved to Louisiana, and we've been together ever since. Who knew I'd get to experience a romance novel premise in my own life?

6. I can recite all the words in Dirty Dancing, about 90% of Sixteen Candles, and most of the series Dawson's Creek and Friends. I'm nothing, if not cheesy.

5. I love to cook and rarely cook the same thing twice. I could start a whole new site called Cookbook Groupie (but will refrain from doing so).

4. In my past life as an adoption social worker, part of my job was transporting two day old infants in planes, trains, and automobiles alone (okay, so there were no trains unless you count the monorail at the airport) to get the babies to their new parents. Scary stuff when, at the time, I had no experience with babies.

3. I prefer beer (the darker the better) to wine.

2. I'm a perfectionist, but a terrible housekeeper.

1. I wear my heart on my sleeve, but have a great poker face from my days of being a therapist. I only fall apart in front of a very select few.

Questions: Do we have anything in common? Does anything surprise you?Would you like to play along on your blog? If so, consider yourself tagged!